“The Danish film-maker Lars von Trier has thrown Bayreuth into confusion. Not by his outrageous take on the operas of Richard Wagner, nor by spectacular fallouts with divas – but by admitting that he is not up to the job of directing the festival’s forthcoming Ring cycle.”
Tag: 06.09.04
Retelling MoMA
Curators at the Museum of Modern Art struggles to retell the story of their collection in the new spaces of their new home. “It is a daunting task: to use the museum’s vast collection to tell the history of modern art in new and unfamiliar galleries. Not only has the museum’s collection grown and changed enormously since the institution’s founding in 1929, but so has the way that people look at art. We’re talking to a younger and in many ways better-educated audience but one that is not necessarily more sophisticated”
Mr. Mortier At The Paris Opera
Gerard Mortier takes over the Paris Opera from Hugues Gall. “While Mr. Gall held the job for almost a decade before reaching the official retirement age of 65, Mr. Mortier, 60, has only five seasons to make his mark. His first, the 2004-5 season, with 9 new productions and 10 revivals, already suggests a more daring approach, notably in the selection of directors who, he hopes, will seek out “the modernity” in established works.”
Scottish Opera – Cutting Off The Limb To Save The Body
So cutting Scottish Opera’s operations is meant to save it. But “rather than a rescue plan, this could be the death of opera of an international standard in Scotland.”
Cutting Forces Will Make Scottish Opera Better?
“If this is going to be a company “in better voice”, then the collective throats of the Scottish Arts Council need examining. The main musical redundancies are almost certainly going to come in the chorus, which will be completely disbanded as a full-time ensemble.”